This is an excellent school for learning the principles of tai chi, as taught by the classics. The…read moreteacher, Martin Inn, has produced two editions of the tai chi classics, and in his teaching, he refers to them consistently. Learning from him, one always has the sense that he is simply a vessel for the tai chi tradition. At the same time, it is clear that his knowledge is based on a steadfast personal exploration of the principles of tai chi.
I myself have studied at this school since 2005. Before then, I had spent three years practicing yoga. I decided to switch to tai chi for many reasons, and 12 years on, I feel it was the right decision. It has given me more awareness in my physical movements and perhaps in my sense perception. Most importantly, it has taught me how to relax. To truly relax is much harder to do than you might think.
You'll start by learning the form from a senior teacher. Doing so will take 6-10 months. During this time, you will face physical challenges, most significantly building up strength in your thighs. You will discover the paradox of relaxation: that the more you relax, the more leg strength you require. If your hands are habitually cold, you will find that taking this class will warm them. You might note this phenomenon with interest.
After you learn the form, you will join the main class. You'll be attending the class 2-3 times a week, each time going through the form twice and then taking a lesson on one specific point from Martin. From this point through the next few years, you will, as a beginner, move your body externally--that is, using your muscles--as you have done your entire life. Gradually, you will learn how to relax. Each stage of relaxation will open up new levels of understanding and create new physical challenges.
Eventually, after at least a few years, when you relax to do the form, you will begin to feel the stirrings of something new within your body, probably first in the arms. It will feel as if a subtle fluid is moving through them, making them lighter, animating them. This, presumably, is chi, or at least one form of it. You're still a beginner, but you're beginning to understand what people mean when they talk about chi.
With continued practice, you will continue to relax and start to realize the significance of a phrase from the classics: "The mind moves the chi, the chi moves the body." In other words, you can move your body with chi (as a beginner, very slightly) instead of with muscles. When practicing the form, your body acquires more of a floating quality. Very interesting. Of course, you are still a beginner.
Perhaps at some point you will join the push hands class and see what it is like to try to push with Martin. You'll experience the difference between a martial art based on strength and speed, like karate, and a martial art based on softness and energy, like tai chi. Perhaps you will reflect on the significance of this difference for understanding nature and evaluating human behavior.
Learning tai chi from an experienced teacher is a fascinating journey. Martin is an excellent teacher, and also a demanding one. Lay your ego at the door. You will get as much from this school as you are willing to put in.
